Anxious in Arkansas

[jcm05]

Welcome Steve! While I've heard of both of them, I don't have experience with those two varieties. You will probably get some other suggestions for good heat setting varieties, but my suggestion would be to start with those two that you're familiar with and start crossing them to good tasting varieties. It will be easy to select for the best producing segregates. Good luck and feel free to ask questions or just lurk around.

[ozarklady]

Hi Steve,
Welcome to the forum.
You have good Arkansas Travellers? They used to be my stand-by, when nothing else could take the heat. But the ones I have been getting and they claim they are Arkansas Travellers won't even set fruit or grow in our heat. So, I gave up on my favorite tomato.

I am growing several varieties this year, but it sounds like you have already trialed more than I have ever grown.

My good producers in this heat and drought:
#1. OSU, and I like the taste of them.
#2. Pink Oxhart, haven't tasted them yet, just ripening, but several on the vine and in full bloom in 100 degree heat.
#3. Hillbilly, haven't tasted them either, but they are doing great in the heat.
#4. Peach Blow Sutton, it was kind of stagnant, then temps hit 100 and it went crazy, it is covered with tomatoes of all sizes, a bit late, but holding up well. Haven't tasted yet.

The disappointed in production:
Cherokee Purple, Risentraube, Belgian Giant, Grueso, Rutgers, Caspian Pink, Ponderosa Pink, Brandywine, Burpees Long Keeper, and Yellow Stuffer. These guys started good and then just kind of went into hibernation.

I tasted Risentraube and didn't like it, but hubby does like it. I thought it was too sour.

[stratcat]

Glad to have you join us, Steve! Enjoy yourself.

[blah]

Aug 7, 2010 15:12:59 GMT -5 ozarklady said:

#3. Hillbilly, haven't tasted them either, but they are doing great in the heat.

My Hillbilly's are doing very well in a heavy clay soil.
They are good! I cut the mater 1/4" thick and deposit it in between 2 slices of bread. No salt,Mayo or vinegar. Just pure hillbilly heaven.

[bluelacedredhead]

Welcome to TG

[johno]

Hi Steve, another Arkie here. I've been taking notes on varieties that actually produce here for some years now. Of course, they are not all in one place... but I intend to compile them someday. I have noticed, sadly, that the weather has SO MUCH to do with it that what does well one year may not the next. For example, the one time I grew Jetstar, it was anything but bulletproof, as it has been for you. I think I'll never be finished trying new varieties, but I've come to a point where I have a long enough list of good potentials that I'm going to concentrate on those starting next year. I'll keep you in mind when I draw up that list.

As far as breeding with the high temps, you just have to monitor the forecast constantly from day one. You do get rare breaks.